L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire (pronounced ˌɛɪ ˈnwaʁ) is a 2011 neo-noir crime video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.51718 L.A. Noire is set in Los Angeles in 1947 and challenges the player, controlling a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detective, to solve a range of cases across five departments.17 Players must investigate crime scenes for clues, follow up leads, and interrogate suspects, and the players' success at these activities will impact how much of the cases' stories are revealed. The game draws heavily from both the plot and aesthetic elements of film noir, stylistic films made popular in the 1940s and 1950s that share similar visual styles and themes including crime, sex, and moral ambiguity. The game uses a distinctive colouring-style, but in homage to film noir it includes the option to play the game in black-and-white. Various plot elements reference the major themes of gum-shoe detective and mobster stories such as Key Largo, Chinatown,19 The Untouchables, The Black Dahlia, and L.A. Confidential. L.A. Noire is notable for using Depth Analysis's newly developed technology MotionScan, whereby the actors portraying the game's characters were recorded by 32 surrounding cameras to capture facial expressions from every angle.2021 The technology is central to the game's interrogation mechanic, as players must use the suspects' reactions to questioning to judge whether or not they are lying. L.A. Noire is the first video game to be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.2223 Upon release, the game received wide acclaim for its advances in storytelling and facial animation technology. As of February 2012, both PC and console versions have sold nearly 5 million copies combined.2425 Gameplay The game takes place in the year 1947, in the city of Los Angeles, a city of glamour, fame, and wealth, but also where crime, vice, and corruption are rife. The player assumes the role of Los Angeles Police Department Officer, and later Detective, Cole Phelps.2627 The game starts with Phelps as a uniformed patrolman,28 and follows his career as he advances through the police department bureaus (desks) of Traffic, Homicide, Vice and Arson. Instead of missions or levels, the game assigns the player with cases. Each desk gives the player a new partner who will help Phelps in his investigations. After each case, the player will receive a rating of 1–5 stars depending on their performance in both interrogations and searching for clues. In some cases, when searching an area for clues to the crime, players can also find newspapers. Besides reading the story, the newspapers give access to a short cinematic that either covers a part of the game's overarching plot or a flashback to Phelps' war memories. Near the end of the final desk, Arson, the player assumes control of Phelps's old Marine comrade Jack Kelso, who becomes the protagonist for the rest of the game; although different in appearance and personality, he controls identically to Phelps. The game blends investigative elements such as mystery and crime solving, with fast-paced action sequences, including on-foot and car chases, hand-to-hand combat, interrogations and gunfights.26 In addition to the storyline cases, the player can work on optional side-investigations known as Street Crimes, which are 40 unassigned cases that are not related to the case that they are working on. The player can travel on foot, as well as in various vehicles. The player also has a total of ten detective suits available; an initial six, plus four downloadable ones. The suits are equipped with When the player is interrogating suspects and witnesses, the player must listen to the story that they give. The player will be given the option to either believe them, doubt them or accuse them of lying. (If the player accuses them of lying, the player must have evidence to prove that they're lying.) If the player interrogates two people at the police station, the player will be able to decide who to charge with the crime. The captain's attitude will tell if the player charged the right person. If the player is having trouble completing an action sequence, after three failed attempts, they will have the option to skip past and continue through the narrative.29 Weapons are only allowed in appropriate circumstances and only when a player is working on a case where a weapon is warranted. However, players are allowed to commandeer civilian cars. The game features a free roam mode called "The Streets of L.A.", which is unlocked on completion of a desk. In this mode, players can solve street crimes, search for gold film reels, landmarks and badges (some of which contribute to 100% completion of the game) or just drive around the special abilities, such as increased damage protection Plot The story begins with Cole Phelps on the Patrol Desk at the Wilshire Division 7 Police Station as a new member of the Los Angeles Police Department in Los Angeles, California, successfully investigating a murder with his partner. The game follows Phelps' progress through the ranks and through different departments, and shows the collapse of his marriage to Marie, after he falls for German lounge singer, Elsa Lichtmann (Erika Heynatz). When a U.S. Marine from Phelps's former unit is found brutally murdered, Phelps discovers many of his former squad members are being assassinated as well, and after meeting with his old comrade, Jack Kelso (Gil McKinney), he deduces that the men in his unit were selling morphine after stealing a large supply from the U.S.S. Coolridge, the ship that carried the unit back to Los Angeles at the end of World War II. The men are being killed by the mob, who control the drug trade and resent the competition. Further investigations by Phelps and Kelso lead them to discover that the money from the morphine sales is being used to fund a program known as "The Suburban Redevelopment Fund". They discover that whilst the fund publicly has good intentions—to build houses for homecoming American servicemen—it is actually a front for an insurance fraud scam, run by a tycoon named Leland Monroe (John Noble), where sub-standard houses are built and then fall victim to arson in order to claim the insurance money. This is finally revealed to be only a small part of the fraud, as the true fraud was against the federal government regarding eminent domain. The Suburban Redevelopment Fund aimed to build entire communities, albeit with matchstick houses, to fool the federal government into paying much higher prices for the land where they were constructed, as they were in the path of a soon to be built freeway. The scam involves local businessmen, dignitaries and even the police chief. It also involves Monroe and a doctor named Harlan Fontaine (Peter Blomquist) and a headstrong member of Phelps and Kelso's unit, Courtney Sheldon, who is later killed by Fontaine. After a shoot-out at Monroe's mansion by Kelso, it is revealed that the arsonist killed Fontaine and has kidnapped Elsa Lichtmann. It also revealed that the arsonist was one of the men from Phelps and Kelso's unit. At the Los Angeles River Tunnels, while trying to rescue the kidnapped Elsa, Phelps and Kelso fight their way through corrupt policemen and thugs trying to stop them from exposing the Suburban Redevelopment Fund scam. Outside the tunnels, the Assistant DA blocks the corrupt chief of police from sending additional officers after Phelps, and makes a deal where he sells out the other Fund conspirators. Phelps and Kelso rescue Elsa, and flee from the tunnels whilst struggling against a sewer level that is rising after heavy rain. Eventually, the trio finds an open manhole that they use get Elsa up to the surface. As the water begins to rise, Phelps voluntarily lifts Kelso to the surface as well; as there is no one else to help Phelps, he says a final goodbye to his comrades as a current sweeps him away, killing him. Later, a funeral is held for Phelps. Biggs says to Kelso